ScieCom info, 2009:2
Abstract
Dear Readers,
In this issue, articles from Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden discuss various topics ranging from journal digitisation and OA-migration to surveys of researcher attitudes towards OA, libraries struggling with OA-advocacy, and descriptions of successful projects. The new series Open Minds was introduced in our previous issue with an interview with the well-known expert on scholarly communication models, Professor Bo-Christer Björk at Hanken School of Economics, Helsinki.
We are now happy to present the next instalment, an interview with another Nordic pioneer, who sees knowledge as a common good and who also is a long time active promoter of open access. What are his hopes and ideas about open access to research publications in the future?: Open Minds - an interview with Rune Nilsen, Professor of International Health at the University of Bergen by Ingrid Cutler.
Recent developments of the established Finnish journal Informaatiotutkimus - Finnish Journal of Information Studies are reported by its editor-in-chief Kai Halttunen. He gives us insight into all the practical problems involved in journal digitization and describes their final choice of a sustainable OA-publishing model: A Digitizing Project and Open Access Publishing of an Established National Journal
In March the first Danish Open access day was held as the conclusion of the DEFF project “Public Access to Danish research”. Topics discussed were: Author motivation, How can we get into the authors workflow?, and How to get top management support?. Mikael K. Elbæk reports from the conference: From Repository Manager Workshop to a Danish OA network: a report from the Danish OA day 31. March 2009.
Finally, two articles from Lithuania and Sweden discuss ways to promote Open Access and get the attention of important stakeholders, not least the researchers themselves. The situation in Lithuania is reported by Jūratė Kuprienė and Žibutė Petrauskienė, both from Vilnius University. They give us the necessary background to understand developments, such as the growth of repositories, and present studies showing researcher attitudes towards open access. The authors conclude that more advocacy and information is needed as there is a lack of knowledge about OA among researchers and other important stakeholders: Open access to scientific publications: the situation in Lithuania.
The project report from Sweden might give some useful tips and ideas to our Lithuanian colleagues. Peter Linde describes a practical approach to advocacy and knowledge dissemination in his report Swedish Researchers Meet Open Access. This project builds upon an earlier successful project creating an Open Access education package for researchers. One part of the new project is to organize seminars on OA for researchers at Swedish universities/university colleges from north to south.
As usual, your comments and ideas are very welcome Ingegerd Rabow Editor-in-chief
